In ayah 64, He describes these "slaves" by saying:

This is translated as: those who spend the night before their Lord, prostrating (in sujood) and standing.

Tafsir ibn Kathir explains this ayah, and compares it to ayahs 17-18 from Suratuth-Thaariyaat (Surah 51):

Translation: They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Lord (Allah) and praying, with fear and hope]. And in the hours before dawn, they were (found) asking (Allah) for forgiveness. [Surah Ath-Thaariyaat, verse(s) ] (translated by Muhsin Khan).

Ibn Kathir explains that this is a "good act" that the Muhsinun (good-doers) perform. [1]

According to a footnote in the The Noble Qur'an: English Translation of the meanings and commentary, Tafsir Al-Qurtubi states:

Ibn 'Abbas (رضي الله عنه‏) said: "Whoever prayed two rak'at or more after the 'Isha (night) prayer, will be considered like those mentioned in this verse [i.e. V.25:64]." And Al-Kalbi said: "Whosoever prayed two rak'at after the Maghrib (evening) prayer, and four rak'at after the 'Isha (night) prayer will be considered like those mentioned in this verse."

SubhanAllah, I imagine most people probably already pray at least two ruk'as after Maghrib and three after 'Isha (two ruk'as sunnah and then one for witr), so all that remains is two more ruk'ah! Just two more ruk'ah to qualify under one of the acts performed by the muhsinoon? Under the criteria presented by Ibn 'Abbas and Al-Kalbi (رضي الله عنهما‏) it seems the answer is YES, wallahu ta’aala a’alem (and Allah, exalted is He, knows best)!

Just two more ruk'ah every night—By the permission of Allah, let’s make it a habit for His sake!

May He make us of the Muhsinun and those with whom He is well pleased. Ameen!

Ibn Kathir. "Tafsir Ibn Kathir." Quran Tafsir. 28 June 2008 <http://qtafsir.com/>.

Khan, Muhsin, trans. "Qur'an." Islamic Network. 28 June 2008 <http://www.searchquran.net>.

Dr. Al-Hilali and Dr. Muhsin Khan. The Noble Qur’an: English Translation of the meanings and commentary.

[1] The "Muhsinun" are identified in ayahs 15-16 of the same surah (Surah 51). The ayahs are translated as: "Verily, the Muttaqun (pious - see V.2:2) will be in the midst of hardens and springs (in Paradise), taking joy in the things which their Lord has given them. Verily, they were before this Muhsinun (good-doers - see V.2:112)."

[Route 114 Newsletter]

So are these two "lost surahs" of the Qur'an, as they claim, that we don't have anymore?

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

Translation: Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian. [Surah Al-Hijar, verse(s) 9] (And yes, the Arabic has three forms of emphasis in it.)

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) has promised that He will protect the Qur'an. And whose promise is greater than His?

So when you search further in the authentic narrations--not surprisingly--what do you find? What were these two mysterious chapters?

Nothing more than du'a--authentically related du'a; one was dua-u-qunoot, for salaatul-witr.

(See how Orientalists twist things and slant things to make them look sinister?)

But this post is not about slamming Orientalists-some of them are good, some of them are neutral, and some of them are evil--just like any other group of people.

Rather, this post is about the mushaf of Ibn Mas'ood (رضي الله عنه‏)--a mushaf which, even when the khalifa ordered him to give it up (as part of the Second Compilation), he refused--for a long time, he refused, until finally, he was convinced.

So why would he (رضي الله عنه‏) write du'a in his mushaf? Why not in another place?

There are a couple of reasons. First, paper (or, rather, parchment and similar materials) were very scarce--as was literacy--in the time of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم). It was very hard to gather writing materials. Having a book was itself significant. So Ibn Mas'ood simply wrote du'a at the end of his mushaf.

But isn't there a chance of confusion? People mixing Qur'an and ahadith together, in Arabic, in one book? No, not at all--companions knew which was Qur'an and which was not! So what was the harm in writing them in one book--especially considering the scarcity of materials?

And that, in a nutshell, is Ibn Mas'ood's (رضي الله عنه‏) mushaf.

For more Orientalist refutations, check out the Islamic Awareness site. It details many Orientalist arguments against Islam, and their refutations.

May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) protect us from doubts and whispers of Shaytaan and keep us firm in our eman and on our deen, ameen!

Yasir Qadhi. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Route 114: Qur'anic Sciences. University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus, March 2008.

Why wasn't it compiled during the time of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) himself?

• On-Going Revelation: Revelation was still coming down. If you wrote two verses next to each other, and Allah revealed one in the middle--or an extension to the end of a surah--what then? They didn't have staplers to staple pages into the middle!
• No Need: The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) was still alive, and so were his companions, and they were all there with him. What need was there to compile it? The knowledge was there in the community.
• Arrangement was not Finalized: New verses would come down and be added to the middle of surahs. If it's already written in a book, what do you do? How can you fit it in?
• Abrogation: Although abrogated verses are very few, sometimes a verse would be abrogated--so what if it was written down? What do you do with it?

In any case, in Abu Bakr's time, there was a big battle, where 70 huffadh were martyred. After this one battle, 'Umar convinced Abu Bakr--who was hesitant at first--to compile the Qur'an into one book. Prior to this, it was written down in scraps and fragments; and some of it was only memorized, not written down. And 'Umar feared that the unwritten parts would be lost.

So together, they agreed; and they agreed on who would compile the Qur'an--Zayd ibn Thabit (رضي الله عنه‏).

Why Zayd? He was the main scribe of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم), he was a hafidh himself, and he was known was his piety and knowledge of the Qur'an.

What did Zayd say? He was hesitant too, at first--but then he agreed. They all knew the necessity of it. Zayd said, then: "If they had asked me to move a mountain, I would've found that easier then the task they gave me." [Saheeh Bukhari]

Because of the responsibility--the entire Ummah, for all time, is relying on Zayd.

And he compiled it. Despite being a hafidh, he gathered the sahaba. His condition? He would collect verses that two sahaba heard DIRECTLY from the lips of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم)--nothing less.

And he was a hafidh! He knew the WHOLE Qur'an! Still, he made this his criterion.

And so, bit by bit, over eight months, he collected it.

And there it was--the first mushaf, the first fully compiled end-to-end Qur'an.

Yasir Qadhi. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Route 114: Qur'anic Sciences. University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus, March 2008.

And, just like ahadith, qira'aat have different types. What kind of types? Four types, actually:

1. Saheeh: Authentic qira'aat. To be saheeh, a qira'ah must have an authentic chain of narration back to the Prophet (S), and it must conform with the Uthmanic mushaf. There are ten of these puppies--not seven, as is the common misconception.
2. Shaadh: These qira'aat have an authentic chain of narration back to the Prophet (S), but they don't fit into the Uthmanic mushaf. By consensus of the 'ulama, you cannot recite shaadh qira'aat in salaah. Why are they considered so, if they have an authentic chain? Perhaps because of the importance of the second compilation of the Qur'an. The sahaba made ijmaa, and we have to respect it.
3. Da'eef: weak. These qira'aat don't have an authentic chain of narrators, but a broken chain.
4. Baatil: these are qira'aat that others invented. (Yes, people forge qira'aat, just like they forge ahadith. It's disgusting, I know.)

Which are these ten qira'aat that are authentic? That's another topic for another post!

Oh, and shaadh qira'aat? You can still study them that higher institutions of Islamic learning. A few people study in the faculty of Qur'an and memorize all ten qira'aat--and fewer still study the four shaadh.

Yasir Qadhi. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Route 114: Qur'anic Sciences. University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus, March 2008.

Route 114: Qur'anic Sciences is an AlMaghrib Institute course taught by Yasir Qadhi.

The science of the Qur'an: one of the sciences that reaches out into and forms a foundation for almost every other Islamic science. Topics include: the definition of the Qur'an, the rewards of the Qur'an, the blessings of the Qur'an, the origin of the Qur'an, the recitation of the Qur'an (tajweed); the science of qira'at; ahruf; the science of tafseer; wahiy (revelation); Mecci and Madani verses; the arrangement of surahs and ayahs; abrogation; the miraculous nature of the Qur'an; translation; memorization.

What a list! And Uloom-ul-Qur'an touches on all these fields, many of which are sub-fields (specializations) of Uloom-ul-Qur'an! Almost anything you want to know about the Qur'an is here! So hit up the links below, and learn all about this beautiful, much-neglected book of our times: The Qur'an.

• AlMaghrib
• Ibn Masood's Mushaf
• QMajd Issue 2: Route 114
• Route 114: Qur'anic Sciences
• The Definition of The Qur'an
• The First Compilation
• Types of Qira'aat

• Qur'an

Yasir Qadhi. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Route 114: Qur’anic Sciences. University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus, March 2008.

Scholars define the Qur'an as this: The Arabic speech of Allah that was revealed to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) both in word and in meaning. It is collected between the two covers of the mushaaf, was narrated in mutawaatir chains, and is a challenge to humankind.

We can learn five important things about the Qur'an from this definition.

1. The Arabic speech of Allah: The Qur'an is the speech of Allah, in Arabic. This means that anything that's not Arabic isn't the Qur'an. You can't pray in English, in French, in Swahili, in Urdu--it has to be in Arabic.
2. Revealed to the Prophet: We know that Allah revealed many revelations--including the Injeel and the Tawrah and the Zabur. Those are also revelation of Allah--but they're not the Qur'an. Only what Allah revealed to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) is Qur'an.
3. Revealed in Word and Meaning: Not Only is the meaning of the Qur'an the same as what Allah meant; but the words themselves are also from Allah. (Unlike Hadith Qudsi, where the meaning is from Allah, and the words are from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم))
4. Collected between Two Covers: Hadith Qudsi is also the speech of Allah, but it's not Qur'an. Similarly, there are verses that used to be in the Qur'an, but aren't anymore--even though they were once! These are the abrogated verses, and they're not considered Qur'an anymore, even though we still know what some of those revelations were.
5. Mutawaatir: The Qur'an was related in a mutawaatir fashion--so many narrators narrated it, at every single step in the chain of narration, that it's impossible that they all lied or made a mistake.
6. A Challenge to Humankind: The Qur'an is an ongoing challenge to the human race--create a book, a surah, a verse like it; but nay, we will NEVER be able to. Allah Himself says so.

One other important part of the definition of the Qur'an is that Allah promised that He will protect it, until the end of time--and that promise doesn't apply to anything else (such as the sunnah, or the Hadith Qudsi).

And you thought you knew the Qur'an!

May Allah allow us all to become saahibul-Qur'an, Companions of the Qur'an, those whom Allah will give the highest level of jannah (ameen)!

Yasir Qadhi. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Route 114: Qur'anic Sciences. University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus, March 2008.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in Surah Al-e-Imran ayaat 31-32:

Translation: Say: If you should love Allah, then follow me (so) Allah will love you and forgive your sins. And Allah is Al-Ghafuwr (the All-Forgiving), Ar-Raheem (the All-Mericful). Say, Obey Allah and His Messenger. But if you turn away then indeed, Allah does not love the disbelievers. [Surah Al-e-Imran, verses 31-32]

فَاتَّبِعُونِي,Ittabi'ooni, "follow me", is from the root letters taa ba ayn. It means to follow one very closely, such that you follow their very footsteps. It also means to follow without being commanded. What does following the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) then entail? It means to follow his sunnah, his teachings and to follow the way he lived his life.

Following the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) is the condition to gain Allah's Love. If one does not love and follow the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم), yet claims to love Allah, his love for Allah will not be accepted from him. Thus, we learn that the only way to gain Allah's Love is to follow the footsteps of His messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم).

Then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in the following ayah, أَطِيعُواْ "Attee'oo" "Obey", and that is from the letters taw (ط) wow ayn. From this root, comes the meaning of obeying willingly, out of happiness and full acceptance of the command. What is the difference between obeying and following in these verses? Let's analyze the difference:

• Attee'oo (obeying) refers to the commands of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم), and as the ayah mentions, if one does not obey his commands, he will be among the Kaafireen (disbelievers).
• Ittabi'ooni (following) refers to emulating the deeds of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم). Following surpasses obeying, because one is doing the obligatory actions as well as the recommended ones. Furthermore, following the sunnah is done sincerely out of love for the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) and this gains the Love of Allah.

To reiterate, obeying is mandatory while following is adhering to the sunnah, and completing those acts that the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) did.

Here are two examples:

1. Rasulullah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) commanded the men of this Ummah, "do not wear silk, for those who wear it in this life will not wear it in the hereafter." [Bukhari and Muslim] This falls under obeying, as from this hadith, we find that silk is prohibited for men, although it was not mentioned in the Qur'an.
2. 'Aisha (رضي الله عنها‏) reported that when the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) had performed the two rakah before Fajr prayer, he would lie on his right side. [Bukhari]. This is "Ittibaa as-Sunnah" (following the Sunnah), one does not have to lie on their right side---they can pray the fardh salaah right away; however, out of sheer love and sincerely wanting to follow the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم), some lie on their right side. By doing these types of acts, we may gain the love of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).

May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) make us among those whom He loves, and among those who follow the footsteps of His messenger. Ameen.

How many times have we heard this duaa in our lives: Rabbana aatina fid-dunya hasanah, wa fil-akhirati hasanah, wa qinaa athaban naar. Have we ever contemplated how complete this duaa is?

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says

Translation: And among the people is he who says, "our Lord, give us in this world," and he will have in the Hereafter no share. But among them is he who says, "our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire." [Suratul-Baqarah, verses 200-201]

These ayaat are in the part of Surahtul-Baqarah that addresses Hajj and its rites. In the first part of the ayah ("And among the people is he who says, "our Lord, give us in this world," and he will have in the Hereafter no share.") Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says that there are people who remember only the dunya in their duaa, even when making duaa during Hajj. Why even at that time? When a person makes duaa, he focuses on what he wants, what is important to him, and what he thinks about the most. For these people--may Allah not make us from them--the dunya is their priority, and they think most about it wherever they are. This is the case whether they are performing tawaf or standing at 'Arafat--they only think about attaining the dunya.

In the second part of the ayah, Allah explains that such a person will not have a share in the hereafter. Why? Because that is not what he was asking for. In the ayah, the Arabic word "Khalaaq" خَلاَقٍ means a portion or share which is given to someone because of his good character. Therefore, we also learn from this ayah that good character leads and opens doors to doing good deeds.

Then there is the other type of person, the one who says: "our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire." What are the blessings he is asking for in this dunya? Rizq, offspring, wealth, a home, family, and good health. We live in this dunya, we have needs, and we are allowed to ask for them--the companions would even ask Allah for help when their shoelaces broke. So these people also ask for "hasanah" (good) in this world.

Then they say, "and good in the hereafter." What is this good? Jannah, and all the steps that lead to Paradise. They ask for protection from the punishment of the grave. They ask that when the trumpet is blown on the Day of Judgment they are not among those who are terrified[1]. They ask that their book will be given to them in their right hand[2]. They ask that when their deeds are weighed, their good deeds will be heavier then their bad deeds[3]. They ask that when they have to cross the Siraat, they cross it with ease and quickness[4]. They ask to pass the Qantarah without any hardship[5]. And finally, they ask to enter Jannah with ease

When we make this duaa, we should have all of these things in mind inshaAllah. And when will a person ask for these things? Only when he or she knows about them, and knows that they are the steps that we will go through in the akhirah. Knowledge of what we are asking for helps our duaas come from the heart; when a person knows what he is asking for, he is no longer merely repeating the words "hasanah" in the akhirah and "hasanah" in the dunya, he sincerely thinks about what the words include.

In the final part of the ayah, Allah says that these people will then ask for salvation from the hellfire. Why? Because they know what a severe torment and punishment it is.

It was reported from Anas ibn Malik (رضالله عنه) that Rasul Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) this du'aa the most [Saheeh Muslim, Book 35, Hadith 6705]. When Anas ibn Malik (رضالله عنه) would make duaa, he would include this duaa. Therefore, we, too should make this duaa as much as we can, and with the meaning in mind.

May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) make us among those who will have good in this dunya, good in the hereafter and those saved from the torment of Hellfire. ameen

Al-Huda Institute Canada. Ta'leem Al-Qur'an Course for Women. Al-Huda Islamic Centre of Canada. Mississauga, Ontario. October 2007. <www.alhudainstitute.ca>

[1] "Whoever brings a good deed, will have better than its worth, and they will be safe from the terror on that Day. " [Surah Naml, verse 89]

[2] "Then, as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand, He surely will receive an easy reckoning, And will return to his family in joy!" [Surah Al-Inshiqaq, verse 7-9]

[3] "And the weighing on that day (Day of Resurrection) will be the true (weighing). So as for those whose scale (of good deeds) will be heavy, they will be the successful" [Surah Al-A'raaf, verse 8]

[4] "There is not one of you but will pass over it (Hell): this is with your Lord, a Decree which must be accomplished. Then We shall save those who used to fear Allah and were dutiful to Him, And We shall leave the wrong-doers therein (humbled) to their knees (in Hell)." [Surah Maryam, verse 71-72]

[5] Abu Sa'eed al Khudree reports that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, "when the believers cross the Hellfire, they will be stopped at a small arched bridge (Qantarah) before entering the paradise and will be given retribution for injustices between them until they become purified. (Then) they will be permitted to enter Jannah. So, by the One in whose hands is my soul, they will know their way to their homes in Jannah, better than they knews their ways to their homes in Dunya. (Saheeh Bukhari)

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) uses amazing parables in the Qur'an that strike fear, awe and amazement in the hearts of the believers. Throughout the Qur'an, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) draws parables for us to convey the importance of certain topics, to extract lessons from them and so that we may ponder and reflect over them. We hear many times of the examples of the hypocrites, the mushrikeen (pagans) and the believers. But there is one parable that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) puts forth that increases the love and mercy between a husband and wife, and this parable is one of the most eloquent and striking in the Qur'an.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) describes the spousal relationship in Surah Al-Baqarah, when He says:

Translation: They are your garments and you are their garments. [Surah Baqarah, verse 187]

SubhanAllah, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) compares the relationship between a husband and wife as clothing. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says that both the husband and wife are "libaas", garments, for each other. This shows the equality that Allah places between spouses and how each partner has a role in the relationship.

Remember again that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) puts parables in the Qur'an so that we may ponder, so let's ponder on how a spouse compares to clothes:

1. Clothes are close to you, behind your clothes is your bare skin. A spouse is close to you in that manner, emotionally and physically.
2. Clothes protect your skin from the outside. A husband is the maintainer of his wife and the wife protects her husband's home and property.
3. Clothes beautify you. A husband and wife compliment eachother, in this life and the next.
4. Clothes are comfortable. When one is around their spouse, they feel at ease and their hearts are at rest. One can relax around their spouse and find comfort in them and their words when they are in difficulty.
5. Clothes hide and screen you. A husband and wife should not discuss each other's faults to the outside or complain to others about their spouse.

SubhanAllah, indeed our Lord is Ar-Ra'oof (the extremely Compassionate) for placing this tranquility between spouses. As Ibn Kathir says in his tafseer of Surah Room: If Allah had made all of Adam's progeny male, and created the females from another kind, such as from Jinn or animals, there would never have been harmony between them and their spouses. There would have been revulsion if the spouses had been from a different kind. Out of Allah's perfect mercy He made their wives from their own kind, and created love and kindness between them. For a man stays with a woman because he loves her, or because he feels compassion towards her if they have a child together, or because she needs him to take care of her, and so on.

Many may feel embarrassed that this verse is mentioned in the Qur'an, but subhanAllah, this is just another beautiful example which shows that our deen is truly complete and that Allah have given us guidance through His Book for every aspect of our lives, and for this we should be thankful alhamdulillah.

This parable between a spouse and a garment is one of the many parables in the Qur'an that we should ponder and reflect over, and this is from the Ultimate Wisdom and Mercy of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) that He explains His verses and signs to us in a manner that is most fitting to our intellect.

Wa lillahil hamd.